NIGHT RAGE
by Neil Davies1
Summary: How can the dead come back to life, where are the Doctor and Kate now and will they ever escape this nightmare?


14

**NIGHT RAGE**

A fizzing, discordant snow storm of lines and pixels the image on the screen surged and pulsated madly before resolving itself into a young woman with shoulder length blond hair, the figure hugging Lycra one piece suit squeezed every curve alluringly but this was not a pleasure vid.

Surrounded by burned and blackened terminals, the floor strewn with debris the girl flicked hair out of her soot smudged face, her mint green eyes fixed with intensity then she said in an anxious voice,

There were small spots of blood down one sleeve and both sleeves were torn in places revealing bruised flesh.

"My name is Kate Ash I'm a journalist with GalNet 7, this is a distress call to anyone who can pick it up. I'm marooned here in a small outpost, the coordinates of which are attached to this transmission. There are some creatures moving in on me and I'm all out of ammo. The one man who could help," the camera panned slightly left and zoomed in on a fallen figure lying limply against a wall, head slumped and eyes closed, lips moving soundlessly, "His name is the Doctor," said Kate with a catch in her throat, "And he's dead," she gave a sigh of despair, "I don't have much time left now the alien creatures are called…."

_Transmission terminated_ flashed up on screen and the girl vanished into a deep black maw, a gloved hand moved to turn a dial _transmission recorded_ appeared, the dial was twisted and the film ran again _locator beacon accessed_ and the name of a planet appeared.

The spaceship altered course and went to high warp, there wasn't much time if Kate Ash was to be acquired and the dead Doctor of course; because sometimes the dead came back to life and when they did they had information to impart.

Earlier.

The splitting, raucous sound which heaved and pulsed was accompanied by a strange heat haze within which an object appeared morphing from nothingness to vagueness then somethingness as a tall blue oblong filled out to stand on the flat metal surface.

One of its doors opened and a man emerged moving swiftly, his expression curious but cautious, the eyes bright with intelligence but distrustful of what they saw. The sky was darkening and a binary star had begun to set, across the horizon a string of pale milky orbs had just become visible like pearls on a string.

In the man's right hand was a small object which he panned left to right before studying, "All right it's safe," he said and Kate Ash emerged in a fur coat, high black boots and silken gloves, she to held something that was slightly bulkier.

"What happened to the meteor storm," she asked as the man approached the building attached to their landing site, a metal prefabricated structure of boxes and pillars with a domed roof. It wasn't new but appeared solid and air tight.

"What meteor storm," the man muttered under his breath like it was nothing to do with him?

"The one," said Kate archly, "You said was about to bombard this entire quadrant and the reason why we shouldn't even think of landing here."

The man didn't lose his scowl as he inspected an airlock, "Oh that meteor storm," he fingered the opening mechanism, "It missed," he said with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Kate was flustered, "missed," she echoed, "How could it just miss," the storm had been 50 kilometres across and consisted of dozens of huge nuggets of ore enriched stone all of which were bigger than the tardis, "Storms that size don't miss anything they trash them including this small planet and that," she nodded at the flimsy looking building.

"Perhaps miss is the wrong word, possibly I should have said deflected; the storm was deflected away from here that's interesting don't you think, I mean it would take an awful lot of power to do that."

Yes Kate agreed it would, "Generated from here," she asked joining him by the airlock, "From inside this base?"

He was attempting to bypass the locking controls and alarm but with little success, "This looks simple but it isn't I just can't deactivate the lock."

Breezily Kate hit a button marked 'open' and the door opened it wasn't locked at all, hands on hips she permitted herself a smirk of triumph that she felt was well deserved.

The Doctor straightened up, licked his top lip and masked any embarrassment by going inside first, no tart comment, no excuse he entered an airlock and glanced about.

"The door maybe unlocked but that doesn't excuse the lack of an alarm, klaxons should be deafening us by now and armed guards shoving us around demanding to see ID and accusing us of spying, trespassing or some other cliché."

Kate stepped up beside him, she was from the 23rd century but the technology on display was beyond her, not massively so just a few decades.

"Abandoned," she offered.

"Why leave the power on," he reposted?

"Skeleton crew then, obviously not up to much a pair of lazy so and so's."

The inner door opened automatically sliding over to the right with a low whoosh and the Doctor peered down with a pursing of the lips. The man's body lay on its face, a big man with his face turned away from them, he clearly wasn't breathing but then he wouldn't be with a huge hole burned through his back level with the heart.

Kate felt her stomach clench she still wasn't used to sudden death and let the Doctor do a close examination, squatting by the corpse to scan it and lift the eyelids.

"Not dead long," he mused, "Still warm and no rigor."

"He's been shot," Kate said the obvious, "An energy weapon, close range I'd say from the burning to his jacket."

Shot by who she wondered was it an argument or cold blooded murder?

"A powerful energy weapon," the Doctor was saying, "He didn't even get a chance to fire his own gun," this was lifted from nerveless fingers and turned over a compact hand blaster Kate recognised from her time so it was old fashioned.

Kate stiffened, "If he's still warm," she said and the Doctor nodded; the killer might still be around might indeed be watching them right now, might be deciding that 3 murders were as easy as one.

Rising the Doctor held an identity badge, the name on it was Smithers and he was a technician, "Want to leave," the time lord asked giving her the choice, "Right now."

"Yes," said Kate flatly she had no wish to be shot.

"Good we'll stay then," said the Doctor like he hadn't heard her or she'd said something else.

"Why ask me, why play this little game of yours," she was angry, he did this every time he asked her if she wanted to leave then they stayed and nosed around falling head long into danger and being shot at; and being shot at seemed very likely here with a killer on the loose.

"Someone murdered this man," said the Doctor in his reasonable voice, "That's appalling we can't leave the crime uninvestigated, somebody loved Smithers he might have a wife and children and a mother."

"How do you know it isn't being investigated," Kate shot back, "The cops may be on the case as we speak," her words echoed around a large, empty corridor singularly free of law enforcement officers?

The Doctor sighed backing up said corridor, "I'm just going to look around, see if I can find any clues, at the least I can send out a message."

He was getting involved like he always did, poking his nose in, asking questions and treading on toes. Why did he do, why was it so important that this murderer was apprehended by them?

Blue eyes fixed on her, "Don't you care I thought you were a reporter, this is news isn't it a story a scoop?"

Don't you dare said her posture and stare, don't you try and guilt trip me or use my job against me. Kate was a reporter (technically) although not a crime reporter and she wasn't on duty at the moment she was travelling the universe with a time hopping alien with two hearts and an exceeding long curiosity streak; some might say suicidal.

"Stay with the body then," said the Doctor with a shrug, "Probably a good idea, I think somebody should; just in case the killer comes back to rifle it or move it; a sensible precaution Kate, the right thing to do."

She reached him in four strides to punch his arm, damn the man for drawing her further into this mystery for involving her as he always did, no way was she staying with the body she hated dead bodies and if the killer was still here she didn't want to meet him alone.

Rubbing his arm the Doctor turned back to the corpse, a frown creasing his high forehead, "Look at this face," he said nodding at Smithers, "Don't you think it looks odd."

Dead faces were always odd in her experience but she took a peek seeing a thrust out jaw, sunken yellow cheeks, a heavy brow, bared teeth (were they pointed?) and blemishes or boils on the waxy flesh.

"He looks diseased," she said, "Are those growths on his chin and cheeks?"

"Pustules I think," said the Doctor.

"So he was infected with something, maybe that's why he was killed," Kate offered then corrected herself, "So why just leave the body here?"

The Doctor shrugged, "Maybe he couldn't be moved for some reason."

Now he was really freaking he rout and glad to look away from Smithers she checked her own face with tender questioning fingers hoping she hadn't caught anything.

The Doctor had already move don mentally and physically, making his way to a wide room with curved walls. The terminals were a mix of stuff she recognised and a few she didn't, new and old side by side, one of the newer ones was a tall cream mushroom with four display screens, three of which were cobalt and one was a most definite scarlet.

It was the latter her companion was studying, "So that's why the meteors missed," he was whispering, "Look at this, the base is generating a huge repulsion field, it's massive and is taking up almost 70% of their total power output. The field is like a huge bubble and it's knocked the meteor shower off course sending it harmlessly on its way; until it hits something else that is."

"Is it automated," Kate asked as the room was as deserted as the corridor (dead body notwithstanding).

The Doctor shook his head waving at the touch pads and buttons clearly designed for hands, hands like his and like hers; there was a crew here somewhere or there had been.

Even if they were off duty someone would be around surely, maybe it was Smithers but then who shot him?

The lighting altered, switching its colour scheme from mostly bright to a subdued tint, evening she decided it had been going dark outside and she counted the moons there were 7 of them in a tight cluster.

"Is there a personnel file online," she asked?

"Good thinking," his fingers worked another screen dancing over it delicately and on a wall a Montage of faces appeared a mix of men and women in their 20s and 30s none older than 35 so was a young crew.

Kate saw Smithers, "Oh my god," she exhaled.

"Base commander," the Doctor finished.

"If Smithers was base commander could this be some kind of mutiny, a coup to replace him?"

Wheeled away from the faces the tall man ran a hand through his greying hair, he clearly wasn't happy with this theory either but didn't offer one of his own. Then they heard it a most definite clunking noise deep and metallic and it came from the direction of the airlock to be followed by a series of notes piped over the tannoy system then an automated female voice like one of those who get in an elevator, "Night has fallen," it said, "Night time emergency protocols in operation."

What did that mean what was significant about the onset of evening and why were some of the faces on the wall now flashing? One of them was Smithers but Kate saw five more, three men and two women.

"Emergency," the Doctor was talking to himself again it was most annoying as he often did it when something important, "The arrival of sunset is an emergency," he muttered, "Don't you find that strange?"

Kate found everything about this place strange although she wasn't aware of any emergency, that is until the room door slid open and a man was revealed stood just outside staring at them in a less than friendly way, in an openly hostile way actually. His eyes had this burning fire in them like a fever; only it was more than that it was closer to homicidal rage like he wanted to kill them.

But scarier even than this was the fact it was Smithers the dead man, the walking dead man his back wound still smoking. The growths on his face were more prominent now, not only larger but redder clearly infected as were his dark teeth (and yes they were pointed).

Kate moved behind a sturdier terminal one almost as tall as herself, but the Doctor just stood there regarding Smithers as if more fascinated than afraid; he even took a half step towards him.

Clawed hands rose their nails distended and also sharp, from the throat of the dead man came this hoarse, rasping snarl like a zoo animal might make.

"There's no need to be afraid," had the Doctor really said that to Smithers, "We mean you no harm we're strangers here."

The animated corpse shook with a powerful spasm, uttered a soul wrenching shriek and lunged forwards. As the hands came for him the time lord side stepped neatly but fast as he was, Smithers was just as agile and he turned to snagging the collar of the frock coat with three fingers pulling the Doctor off balance and opening his jaws.

Oh my god he was going to bite the Doctor on the neck, he was definitely going to do a Dracula and sink those fangs into the jugular.

Jolted into action Kate tensed her muscles and gave a shove, the terminal she was behind moved it was on castors, she gave it a second harder shove and it flew across the smooth floor to crash into Smithers, its bulky metal shell slamming him away from his victim so that he toppled back out into the corridor.

Close the door Kate willed, close it and lock it but the next thing to happen was a blinding blue flash from outside a narrow blue beam hit Smithers this time in the chest, it came from some point on the right and smashed the base commander to the deck leaving a smoking hole in his front.

Kate felt a clutch of terror and sank down lower but displaying no apparent fear the Doctor marched outside to study first Smithers and then someone over on the right where the beam had come from, in a neutral tone he said, "Hello," and offered a smile before adding, "Thank you," then he waved Kate to join him saying, "I assume you're the cavalry."

The cavalry turned out to be a man and a girl, the girl was about her age but of slighter build with shorter brown hair, blue eyes and a compact athletic build, someone who worked out daily. She was pretty but very serious and wore a cream and tan one piece uniform as did the man who was about thirty, a bit chubby but also very alert with close cropped black hair.

The girl said something that chilled Kate to the core; it was one of those phrases she knew she was never going to forget no matter how long she lived, "They're coming back to life faster now."

What the hell did that mean?

Smithers was dead he looked totally dead but then he had the last time and this time his face was blackened with blood leaking from one side of his twisted mouth.

"I'm the Doctor this is Kate, you are…?"

"Let's get out of here first," said the man.

The word why had just entered Kate's head when she heard it, a sound gathering in pitch like an incoming tide, at first she thought it might be hail stones hitting the outer walls but then it became clearer and she started running, catching up with the others.

Voices, lots of voices and all of them were snarling, they were closing in fast and seemed to come from every direction like a mob of insane football fans.

"Through here," said the girl it was a narrow opening and the Doctor gallantly waved Kate in first.

"Is it a plague," he asked the small girl?

"More like a curse," said the plump guy.

"Affecting your crew or are there other people here," why was the Doctor always so nosey?

They were through a round tunnel and into an equally round but happily much larger chamber before the girl answered.

"We're the only crew unaffected, so far," that last bit sounded ominous as did what she said next, "It's night rage, Toby here thought that was a myth at first but he soon changed his mind didn't you Toby?"

Toby said nothing he was too busy sealing the other end of the tunnel with his gun welding the rivets.

The Doctor said, "You mean it only manifests when the sun sets?"

The girl nodded, "They seem to be dormant during the day."

Like vampires Kate mused not enjoying the comparison, she wondered if the moons had anything to do with it there were after all 7.

"I'm Halle," said the girl, "I am or was a medical officer, Smithers was the first to get it."

Kate had never heard of night rage (and she'd subbed for the health correspondent a few times,) it didn't sound like any virus or plague, "Get what," she asked, "An illness that brings you back from the dead as a homicidal maniac?"

The Doctor was cooler, calmer already weighing up the facts in that precise way of his, "Smithers was definitely dead I checked, no heart beat, no respiration and the dead don't come back to life," he checked himself with a modest shrug, "Oneself excepted of course," not explaining this he added, "So that thing back there that looked like Smithers wasn't Smithers was it, his body was just the host for something else."

Kate could see from the looks on their faces that he was right; annoyingly he often was although this didn't soothe her nerves at all.

"An alien parasite you mean," she said and his bright eyes sparkled.

"Well Halle," he was gazing right at the girl who shifted uncomfortably?

"The brain stem becomes altered, enlarged, denser; no matter what damage is done to the body the intruder can still reanimate it."

"Strong buggers to," Toby shuddered, "Earlier they stayed dead for several hours now it seems to be down to a few minutes."

A clanging sound made Kate jump it didn't just come from the tube but from other areas of the wall, fists hitting metal; the fists of the dead. She recalled every cheesy zombie film she'd chuckled or yawned through, how snide she'd been with an ex boyfriend who liked them so much.

She owed him a big apology, "If they can't be killed then why stay here, why not abandon the base," she asked?

The Doctor raised a single finger in the air, "The repulsor field," he said, "You have to keep it working if you don't then this whole sector could get very badly smashed up by the many meteor showers it's prone to."

Halle nodded glumly, "If we switched it to automatic the creatures might just smash it, they've already tried, it's like they want a meteor storm to hit but if it did this planet and several others would be destroyed."

"They're insane," Toby judged checking his gun as though it was low on power, Kate hoped it wasn't.

"They're possessed," the Doctor corrected, "And whatever possesses them might want this and other planets disrupted," he smiled, "Useful weapons meteors, cheaper than rockets and less obvious."

Kate hadn't thought about that, "Are you saying these meteor storms have been arranged, that they aren't actual storms but attacks?"

Halle and Toby didn't look convinced but she did admit, "The storms have become more constant, from one a month to three a week but who could manipulate that and why?"

Holding a pen shaped device in his left hand and circling it in the air the Doctor studied the green halo effect it created, "I want to see the repulsion device," he said, "Maybe we can extend its range and repel more than just lumps of rocks like for example the creatures hurling them in this direction."

Kate asked, "Is that possible, can the field be enlarged?"

Halle looked at Toby an engineer by training, he seemed dubious, "Even if it could be done we haven't the time and the creatures are between us and the repulsion chamber."

"Time is no problem," said a confident voice as nimble fingers altered the sonic setting, "The living dead are a different matter, shooting them isn't the answer obviously so maybe we can jam the neurological signal between parasite and host."

Halle looked even more dubious, "With that," she snorted, "It's too small."

Frowning at her and hoisting the sonic screwdriver even higher the Doctor altered its frequency another octave, "What's the quickest way to the device," he asked?

The room had three doors Toby pointed to the one in the centre which was grey and circular, "Three corridors but they'll be waiting for us."

Yes thought Kate more grunting, slavering freaks like Smithers she turned to the Doctor, "Do you have another screwdriver," she asked, "A back up, only two Sonics are better than one."

Not hesitating he nodded at his left jacket pocket and reaching in she took out a similar looking but smaller sonic, it was more gold than silver with a fatter base and only two ridges, whereas the Doctor's had four.

"Try setting 324," he grunted.

"Will that kayo the zombies," she asked thumbing the frequency dial?

"I've no idea this is very much trial and error, I'm not even sure if the sonic will affect them at all."

Not the best news and Kate braced herself for a man rush of wild eyed, fanged monstrosities.

Halle glanced at Toby who went to the door open control, "My gun has only 13% power left, what about you?"

Halle nodded that she was in a similar position, "We may not to able to get them all Doctor so I hope your toy does work."

He winced at the word toy, sensitive about his precious Sonic he never went anywhere without it; he'd once told her that like the tardis it had a degree of awareness, not life but an artificial intelligence.

"Door opening," said Toby dramatically, "Now."

"No wait," was all the Doctor got to say before the big slab of metal hissed to one side and…nothing happened, no mad rush, no zombies not even Smithers but the banging on the walls suddenly and totally stopped.

Kate was almost disappointed, almost, she was more relieved though. Toby insisted on going first but Halle hung back (smart girl thought Kate). Even so nobody jumped the engineer who looked this way and that then took three steps into the corridor before glancing back with a raised thumb.

"Stick close," the Doctor hissed, neither girl needed telling twice or even once.

"Three corridors you said," Kate was calculating, one down two to go "Very short ones I hope."

Halle nodded, "Left then left again," she said, "Careful Toby don't get too far ahead of us."

He was positively breezy, "Its fine they aren't here, I can't even hear them anymore."

"I can," the Doctor spoke through gritted teeth and Kate recalled his uncanny sight and hearing.

"Getting closer," she asked?

He nodded once, "They'd hardly to moving away would they, I sense they're ahead of us."

They turned left, still no zombies, Toby was a good two meters ahead of them gun held in both fists like some TV detective.

"It's getting darker," Kate remarked sure the lighting was more subdued.

Halle alarmed her by remarking, "They can see in the dark their eyes glow."

Of course they can, just like in the movies thought Kate; monsters could always see in the dark and come back to life.

Happily the two Sonics acted as torches their green auras cutting through the encroaching gloom.

"I'm going on ahead," yelled Toby, "To get the door unlocked for us."

No willed Kate don't do that, it's a trap, "Stop," she cried, "Halle stop him."

Halle didn't do or say a thing and nor did the Doctor in fact he'd come to a halt and was just stood there utterly still.

"I'm detecting another signal, apart from the repulsor that is an alien device in the same room."

Toby disappeared around the next corner, Kate had stopped walking herself now "Can you switch it off from here?"

"If only."

"Is it hostile to us?"

"More than likely, it's transmitting a psionic frequency."

Kate threw him a puzzled look in her job she covered crime, sport and celebrities not science, GalNet didn't do science for geeks it appealed to the masses.

"Psionic as in psychic," Halle offered?

"Mind to mind communication certainly, it's giving the parasites more control over their hosts."

"Where do these parasites come from, I assume they aren't native to this world or are they," Kate enquired.

Toby's shout reached them, the door was open and no living dead, he told them to hurry and there seemed no reason not to so why was the Doctor still rooted to the spot?

"Halle go and take a quick peek," he said, "Don't go near the door just look at it and tell me if Toby is visible."

Why wouldn't he be Kate wondered we just heard his voice? Halle looked, frowned and turned back with a shrug, "I can't see him."

No said the lean face of the time lord of course you can't, "Call to him please."

So Halle did shouting Toby's name several times, he did not respond. Looking resigned the Doctor nodded, "We go the corner and look for ourselves," he told Kate.

"Has Toby been grabbed, is he one of them now?"

"No idea, I suspect the conversion process takes a bit longer than that."

"But we heard his voice he called to us," unless it was someone else speaking or something else.

Halle made room for them and they looked, about 3 meters distant was a doorway yawning wide open, beyond it lay a well lighted room dominated by a single feature a large bell shaped machine decorated with green and blue lights. It was as tall as a person but much wider, on a screen undulated a sine wave.

"Is that the repulsor," Kate asked having expected something more impressive, something vast and glistening and giving off a rush of complex flutes and groans, there wasn't even DANGER KEEP OUT sign?

"That's it," agreed the Doctor, "A miracle of engineering and the reason why this base doesn't get battered by meteors, it projects a field out into deep space changing their course, a bit like a dam in a river blocking water."

"Where's this alien device then, I can't see it?"

"You can't see it because it's cloaked, according to my sonic it's just to the right of the repulsor."

How come his sonic was showing this and hers wasn't, did she have the bargain basement version?

"I still can't see Toby," she said knowing he should be waving them on.

"Both of you remain here," the Doctor was using his intense do-as-I-say voice the one you weren't supposed to mess with or ignore.

Ignoring it anyway Halle ran forwards calling Toby's name and showing a dire lack of caution or good sense, did she love the guy?

He came out of nowhere with a snarl grabbing her, knocking her gun aside and bearing fangs, he had an impressive set of gnashers big and sharp with matching vampire eyes and odd growths around chin and cheeks just like Smithers.

Rising to his full height the Doctor aimed his sonic and gave Toby a sharp prolonged burst, at once the guy let go of Halle, spun around and charged the time lord more enraged than stunned, he was now foaming at the mouth his eyes blood red.

As the Doctor fumbled with his device Kate joined him and added her sonic note to the mix, thinking that two Sonics were better than one.

Bad move; it didn't work all it did was put them both at risk. Toby slammed into them sending her to the deck and the Doctor into a wall where strong hands closed around his shoulders to pull him towards a vicious looking bite.

"No," the cry was torn from Kate's lips just as Halle picked up her gun and fired mercifully with a steady hand.

"Thank you," the Doctor's acknowledgement was somewhat chastened as well it might be due to the total failure of his plan, he fumbled with his sonic, "I don't understand this should have worked."

"Mine didn't either," Kate consoled looking down at Toby, at the big smoking hole in his neck he was dead alright his head almost severed by the high intensity blast.

All 3 of them ran into the repulsor room and Halle set about closing its door, Kate hoped she was quick about it because she could now see Smithers at the far end of the corridor and he wasn't alone, another man and a woman were with him all sharing the same unpleasantly deformed features.

She eyed the Doctor busy on the repulsor unit; he already had 2 panels open and was fiddling inside them both one hand in each. Ambidextrous she thought and didn't distract him with any inane questions.

"Halle can I help you," the door needed to be closed and fast?

"Help me turn this wheel," the wheel was small but chunky and made of a dull grey metal it seemed to be very stuck.

Glad of hours spent in the tardis gym she gripped with both hands and put everything she had into it; the damn thing was stubborn though it turned a bit but not much then jammed again.

"Hang on let me try my sonic it might work on this," she gave the wheel a burst then another, Halle tugged.

"Yes it's looser," she grunted just as Smithers went over to Toby's body, bent over it and opened his jaws wide.

Kate almost heaved as a disgusting, slimy, viscous gunk oozed out of Smithers and plopped onto Toby's wound soaking into it and sealing the big hole. Almost at once the dead engineer began to twitch, squirm and clench his fists; he sat up, rubbed his head and uttered a low croak. She was appalled, these things could restore each other to life instantly with some kind of blood coloured vomit.

Happily with one more burst of her sonic the door closed and sealed, it was beyond relief.

"Done it," this cry came from the Doctor who now had a third panel open and was fusing micro processors, "Well sort of," he corrected, "I've doubled the size of the repulsor field."

"Will that be enough," Halle enquired?

"I've no idea, I'm going to try and double it again without blowing the entire power supply."

Kate's attention was snagged by the screens on the walls around her each showed a different face, a zombie face, Smithers was one of them and Toby was another, they were all gazing at her as though they could see her like these screens had a 2 way application.

"I think they know what you're doing Doctor," she sighed.

"Of course they do these creatures aren't stupid."

"So why did they let us get in here in the first place, why not just block the corridor with bodies," Kate soon wished she hadn't asked this question because the answer should have been obvious.

It was a trap.

She spun around looking for how this was going to be sprung, and it was then that the alien device decloaked in a swirl of dark muddy colours revealing itself to be a short, stunted, dark green tree of tumours, vines and pulsing sores. That's disgusting she thought soon followed by – and it's alive in some way a living machine.

What happened next was a lot more disturbing, the living breathing machine (surely something grown not designed) began to light up from within radiating an expanding corona of sickly yellow light that surfed outwards across the room in a rippling wave and with it was a sound, a roaring noise not unlike the zombies made.

There was just time to cry and warning before the wave hit the Doctor and the effect on him was devastating, picked up off his feet he was hurled several feet through the air to crash into a wall mounted fixture with concussive force.

Halle fired at the machine but her beam bent and twisted in the air distorted by the wave and rendered useless.

Seeing the Doctor's fallen and superior sonic Kate picked it up and unleashed a piercing note, not sure if it was the right one or would harm her more than the alien device.

The sickly yellow wave instantly folded in upon itself and the alien machine lost its glow indeed it became still.

"My god it worked," Kate told Halle only Halle wasn't listening, she was lying on her side next to the Doctor as stiff and unresponsive as him.

Panic gnawed at the reporter, she couldn't be the only one still conscious, she didn't know what to do all she had was a sonic screwdriver and a mounting sense of hysteria.

Shaking the Doctor failed to revive him as did screaming his name, blows rained down on the room door percussive and repetitive accompanied by the angry shrieks of the things outside; things that might soon be inside.

What to do, Halle's gun was available but losing power rapidly, even so Kate clutched it for all it was worth.

It was then that her gaze alighted on something she did recognise, a bit of tech from her time she was able to use; a communications device audio and video, she could send a distress message and call for help, an all-points SOS just as she learned on another of her courses, one she'd stayed awake through.

Aboard the ship information was provided to the pilot _orbit acquired_ and on screen a small ochre planet was visible ringed by 7 moons of various sizes, a pulsing red light showed where exactly on the planet the distress call had come from.

The pilot zoomed in on the coordinates and a building came into focus a small base or outpost in a valley flanked by boulders and low pitted hills, a small blue box could be seen near to an airlock.

"Can anybody hear me," cried Kate Ash's voice rising in cadence from naked fear to unabashed terror, "My friends have been knocked out and I can't revive them, I don't know what to do, some creatures are about to break in and when they do," Kate choked off, "I suggest you come well armed if you come at all," she gave a low sob and slumped over her terminal, her long hair fanning down to cover her face for a moment, her arms bent and chest shaking.

The pilot raised a black gloved hand to touch the image on screen he was almost touched by a rare emotion, almost. Behind Kate the Doctor lay still, blood tricking from a wound over his left ear, he was not dead but deeply unconscious.

_Transmat system now online_ informed the ship's computer _locking onto target coordinates._

The pilot rose and went over to a narrow plinth flanked by two golden columns, activating controls on the right side column the pilot was bathed with an aura of rose tinted light.

With a shriek of metal the repulsor room door flew off its hinges and Smithers entered along with Toby and the other two zombies, they all looked at Kate who stood with her back to a wall sonic in one hand gun in the other.

Turning away from her Toby went over to the alien machine, he seemed confused that it wasn't working properly and reached inside with his right hand. A vile squelching noise followed and the organic column seemed to twitch in response to the ministrations.

Kate was more concerned by Smithers who moved towards her cautiously, which to use on him sonic or gun, she plumped for the gun lifting this to chest height.

"No closer," her voice had a tremble it was dreadfully high-pitched and reminded her of the time when she'd begged for her job, please don't fire me she'd said it wasn't my fault but she could see in the editor's eyes that he'd already made up his mind he was implacable. She saw the same thing on the face of Smithers.

"I will shoot you," she gulped which was a weak threat given the two holes burned in him already by others. The others fanned out around the room, would she be able to get them all if they rushed her, was she that good a shot?

Kate did have firearms training thanks to her uncle and a hunting trip when she was 18, he'd taught her the basics of aiming and firing, how to recharge and adjusting power settings. Mind you that was with a different and more primitive type of weapon, the gun she was holding now was from her personal future and its tiny display flashed 'low power recharge now' if only she could.

The three zombies came for her not at all scared of anything she could do and as they closed in an arm shot into the air and a voice cried, "Stop," eyes still closed head still bleeding the Doctor made the creature freeze in their tracks.

Now one eye did flick open, blinked and scowled, then its twin joined it as the time lord sat upright dabbing his head with a palm, "You," he said, "Will not harm my friend," he struggled to rise, sat back down, winced and straightened his legs.

Kate could have wept with joy; even in such a weakened state the Doctor seemed more formidable than she was.

Still clearly weak the tall thin man gazed at Smithers seeing him as the ring leader, "I've just doubled the range of the repulsion unit and I'm about to double it again which I believe will break your telepathic hold over these host bodies. Now I'm going to give you the option of leaving them voluntarily, which should be painless or I'll force you out which won't be," the blue eyes were steely and determined and Kate had seen that look in them before, it was his 'monsters-beware' look and Smithers would be foolish to underestimate it.

Canting forward slightly at the waist the base commander opened his mouth as to speak only he didn't, he kept opening his mouth wider and wider, his jaws stretching impossibly like those of a snake until a vast maw existed in his face and from within something stirred, it moved and expanded, slurping forwards to gather the meat of his tongue and throat to form a blob of gristle and soft tissue, something was creating a body for itself out of the fresh of Smither's throat and gullet.

Kate saw something resembling a worm, a crab and a snake yet it was none of these things, it was infinitely worse and considerably uglier a vast grub with waving feelers, a pincer-like mouth and a chitinous body, the eyes out on stawks big and beady.

The grotesque parasite gripped the edges of the huge mouth with spidery legs and began to lever itself out of Smithers towards the Doctor; clearly intending to leap on him and take possession.

He looked at it with a mixture of disgust and regret then nodded his head once, his hand weaved back to seize a dial, "Last chance," he whispered.

The vile pink bug, which was too big for Smithers now tore itself free of him with a stray of blood and saliva and leapt into the air.

The Doctor's hand twisted, a hum filled the air and to Kate's amazement the animated corpses all convulsed and collapsed now properly dead.

The one thing that wasn't dead was the pink parasite; unbelievably it had dropped onto the Doctor forcing him onto his back and was scuttling up towards his mouth.

How could it still be active, where was it drawing power from?

Then Kate realised – the alien machine the organic green mass.

She aimed her sonic at it, top setting she decided, full power, her thumb twitched.

The noise was piercing, deafening, strident and filled the air with a beam of white noise.

The organic mass exploded bursting open like rotten fruit.

The parasite fell off the Doctor leaving a vile red and yellow trail of puss on his jacket.

He winced with disgust and sat up, thanking her with his eyes, it had worked the invasion was over.

"Well done Kate," but his relief was short-lived, a look of alarm filled his features as around her a strange rose tinted glow took form and she found she couldn't move.

She was aware of how insubstantial she left like her body now had no mass or weight, the room was becoming vague, almost spectral with everything transparent, even the Doctor himself was now a ghostly copy almost whited out.

Beside her in the light was a still figure in a black robe with a black hood concealing the head, he carried a small luminous rod like a magic wand and when he touched her with this she felt a sudden jolt of pain and coldness within body and mind.

The Doctor was shouting something but his voice made no sound so she tried to read his lips, he was saying three things no three numbers but what were they if only she could make them out.

He came closer speaking slowly now enunciating his numbers she was sure one of them was a 5 and the others were, but it was all fading away – him, the repulsor, the bodies, the room she was teleporting out being extracted from this reality.

"534," yelled the Doctor, "Setting 534 on the sonic it will help me to," Kate vanished, "Find you," he finished weakly and waved his hand sin the air where she had been. His face was solemn and he let out a sigh of dismay, "And find you I will," he added, "I promise," he had to get back to the tardis quickly to take a reading, he just hoped she'd heard him and done as he'd directed because if she hadn't…

No Doctor don't think like that you can't afford to, of course you're going to find her again.

The Doctor will return in EXTINCTION, don't miss it.


End file.
